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URGENT - Very ill/dying guinea pig

Hi

You are doing such a good job and such a caring person. Keep syringing her as often as you can, every hour is great and as much as she can take but in very small doses. I often mix some Fibreplex with syringe food as it helps it move down the syringe well and also helps their guts. Is she able to eat grass or dandelion? Maybe mash up some of her pellets as none of mine like critical care so I found just for that reason its a battle! Just try anything she wants to eat. If you can get some Metatone tonic from the chemist that can help bring their appetite back and gives them energy at this tough time. She has made it through the night so she is fighting bless her.

If you want another opinion from a very guinea savvy vet then I am not sure how far you are from Andover (which side of Surrey you are?) but there is a fantastic vets there (Anton vets) who have 24 hour care and a special guinea pig ward they could take her in and are amazing with guineas but it could be a trek for you. They treat guineas better than many humans get a hospitals! I trust them implicitly, Just a thought.

There is also a fantastic guinea pig savvy vet in Bracknell now (Jenny Towers) Bracken Veterinary Centre, 37 Binfield Road, Bracknell, Berkshire RG42 2AW. Tel: 01344 304238 I have used her a lot in the past, she has just opened this practice.

Good luck and keep going, you are doing a great job. Just remember she has to have food for energy no matter how much she fights, otherwise you will lose her.

x
 
Are you able to get her to the vet today? Metacam does not make them drowsy, she is hunched because she is in pain or uncomfortable. Sorry if you have already taken her and I have missed it.
 
Maisy and Poppy said:
I feel like syringe feeding could be beneficial but it was such a struggle last time that I think it might finish her off and zap her remaining energy.
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I am very sorry for our dilemma!

You have two choices: either to keep her guts going by sryinge feeding up to 60 ml in 24 hours or to do the kind thing and pts. Not feeding her means that she will run out of energy soon and die. It is really as brutal as that. All of us long term owners have been there and how tough it is for you. But your scruples can be deadly. :(

My suspicion is that she has already gone into organ failure. Please see a vet as soon as you can! Your window of opportunity is closing fast. If you have metacam, please give it to her as long as she can process any to ease her discomfort.
Not Eating, Weight Loss Over 50g And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
 
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Guinea Slave said:
Hi

You are doing such a good job and such a caring person. Keep syringing her as often as you can, every hour is great and as much as she can take but in very small doses. I often mix some Fibreplex with syringe food as it helps it move down the syringe well and also helps their guts. Is she able to eat grass or dandelion? Maybe mash up some of her pellets as none of mine like critical care so I found just for that reason its a battle! Just try anything she wants to eat. If you can get some Metatone tonic from the chemist that can help bring their appetite back and gives them energy at this tough time. She has made it through the night so she is fighting bless her.

If you want another opinion from a very guinea savvy vet then I am not sure how far you are from Andover (which side of Surrey you are?) but there is a fantastic vets there (Anton vets) who have 24 hour care and a special guinea pig ward they could take her in and are amazing with guineas but it could be a trek for you. They treat guineas better than many humans get a hospitals! I trust them implicitly, Just a thought.

There is also a fantastic guinea pig savvy vet in Bracknell now (Jenny Towers) Bracken Veterinary Centre, 37 Binfield Road, Bracknell, Berkshire RG42 2AW. Tel: 01344 304238 I have used her a lot in the past, she has just opened this practice.

Good luck and keep going, you are doing a great job. Just remember she has to have food for energy no matter how much she fights, otherwise you will lose her.

x
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Thank you, she's not too keen to eat and I've just been out for 3 hrs, so I fed her some more critical care and I'm going to see if she'll eat any veg. I might try meta tone but she's had a lot of injections and medicine yesterday.
We did look at those vets and phoned them a while ago, but we thought the stress of the long journey to get there may not be worth it.
 
helen105281 said:
Are you able to get her to the vet today? Metacam does not make them drowsy, she is hunched because she is in pain or uncomfortable. Sorry if you have already taken her and I have missed it.
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The vet has said that there's not a lot that they can do, they could possibly give her gut stimulant and painkiller again but there's not a lot more to do I think.
 
Wiebke said:
I am very sorry for our dilemma!

You have two choices: either to keep her guts going by sryinge feeding up to 60 ml in 24 hours or to do the kind thing and pts. Not feeding her means that she will run out of energy soon and die. It is really as brutal as that. All of us long term owners have been there and how tough it is for you. But your scruples can be deadly. :(

My suspicion is that she has already gone into organ failure. Please see a vet as soon as you can! Your window of opportunity is closing fast. If you have metacam, please give it to her as long as she can process any to ease her discomfort.
Not Eating, Weight Loss Over 50g And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
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I've given her some critical care about 45mins ago as I was out for 3 hours, I'm not measuring it as we're only putting a bit at a time in the syringe so it isn't waisted but I'm going to try and give her some every hour or so and she how she goes.
The only trouble is the syringe for the critical care is quite big and it can rush out quickly. Thank you for the link, it's very helpful. The vet has said that there's not a lot that they could do, but she was walking around fine and polishing off grass yesterday evening when we got back from the vets at 8pm and this morning she was walking around a little when I took her out to give her some critical care.

Are there any signs of organ failure or anything I could do? I could try and get her to the vets but they've made it clear that there isn't a lot that they can do, as she's too weak to operate and they think it's an underlying, sinister problem that she's hidden well given that this is her 5th time to the vet in less than 2 weeks and she went quite recently before that.
 
Maisy and Poppy said:
I've given her some critical care about 45mins ago as I was out for 3 hours, I'm not measuring it as we're only putting a bit at a time in the syringe so it isn't waisted but I'm going to try and give her some every hour or so and she how she goes.
The only trouble is the syringe for the critical care is quite big and it can rush out quickly. Thank you for the link, it's very helpful. The vet has said that there's not a lot that they could do, but she was walking around fine and polishing off grass yesterday evening when we got back from the vets at 8pm and this morning she was walking around a little when I took her out to give her some critical care.

Are there any signs of organ failure or anything I could do? I could try and get her to the vets but they've made it clear that there isn't a lot that they can do, as she's too weak to operate and they think it's an underlying, sinister problem that she's hidden well given that this is her 5th time to the vet in less than 2 weeks and she went quite recently before that.
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I dont mean to sound harsh but maybe a better, more guinea savvy vet? She may be dehydrated which wont be helping with her weakness. Have you tried syringing some water into her? When Trixie was ill I rushed her to Anton vets and they treated her as an intensive care patient with sub cut fluids injected under her skin and tried different pain killers etc. They tried so hard for her it was amazing. Some vets will try harder than others.

You are the only one who can make that call I am afraid. Without seeing her its tougt to know what to do. Its so tough and I feel for you so much . HUgs

EDited to add: Sorry I just read your note about the vets. Again you are the only one who can decide. Bracknell maybe easier for you. There is also Hannah at a vets in Fleet (Ashworth) who has her own guinea pigs and is very good - 01252 616136 you must ask for Hannah though as the others are not so good.
 
Guinea Slave said:
I dont mean to sound harsh but maybe a better, more guinea savvy vet? She may be dehydrated which wont be helping with her weakness. Have you tried syringing some water into her? When Trixie was ill I rushed her to Anton vets and they treated her as an intensive care patient with sub cut fluids injected under her skin and tried different pain killers etc. They tried so hard for her it was amazing. Some vets will try harder than others.

You are the only one who can make that call I am afraid. Without seeing her its tougt to know what to do. Its so tough and I feel for you so much . HUgs

EDited to add: Sorry I just read your note about the vets. Again you are the only one who can decide. Bracknell maybe easier for you. There is also Hannah at a vets in Fleet (Ashworth) who has her own guinea pigs and is very good - 01252 616136 you must ask for Hannah though as the others are not so good.
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Thank you, the vet we use has guinea pigs and he and another lady are very good. I'm just not sure if it's worth the stress of bringing her and getting more pain relief, whatever to get the gut moving etc. They have given her antibiotics which should clear up any illnesses or infections that she may have.
 
Maisy and Poppy said:
Thank you, the vet we use has guinea pigs and he and another lady are very good. I'm just not sure if it's worth the stress of bringing her and getting more pain relief, whatever to get the gut moving etc. They have given her antibiotics which should clear up any illnesses or infections that she may have.
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You can always ring up the clinic and ask to speak to your vet to discuss whether it is worth it or not.

Personally, I would take her. I have done this both with very ill piggies and those that have gone into organ failure but were not having an easy time of it and were clearly in discomfort/pain. I've been there just two weeks ago with my Tesni, in fact. :(

Make sure that you also give enough water as well as fibrous feed. You have lost the battle if your piggy is either too weak to swallow or fights well in excess for her weak strength.
 
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Thinking of you and poor wee Poppy. Talk to her and soothe her with your voice. Does she like any type of music? If so, put it on softly in the background too. Make her feel as loved and comfortable as possible. And let her 'speak' to her wee friend, even from a distance. Sounds like your girl is Heaven-bound, and she might wish to say goodbye. Good luck to you both. xo
 
Wiebke said:
You can always ring up the clinic and ask to speak to your vet to discuss whether it is worth it or not.

Personally, I would take her. I have done this both with very ill piggies and those that have gone into organ failure but were not having an easy time of it and were clearly in discomfort/pain. I've been there just two weeks ago with my Tesni, in fact. :(

Make sure that you also give enough water as well as fibrous feed. You have lost the battle if your piggy is either too weak to swallow or fights well in excess for her weak strength.
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Thank you, an experienced friend who has had guinea pigs for many years came and took a look at her and he says that she doesn't look in pain, she's just lying there and not too keen to eat or drink or move, but will move if I place her on the ground, and her coat is still very shiny but her eyes are crusty. We've spoken to the receptionist and there isn't an awful lot to be done as we don't think she is in pain, but we need to get her eating and drinking so she poos and wees.
 
Allena said:
Thinking of you and poor wee Poppy. Talk to her and soothe her with your voice. Does she like any type of music? If so, put it on softly in the background too. Make her feel as loved and comfortable as possible. And let her 'speak' to her wee friend, even from a distance. Sounds like your girl is Heaven-bound, and she might wish to say goodbye. Good luck to you both. xo
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Thank you!
 
Maisy and Poppy said:
Thank you, an experienced friend who has had guinea pigs for many years came and took a look at her and he says that she doesn't look in pain, she's just lying there and not too keen to eat or drink or move, but will move if I place her on the ground, and her coat is still very shiny but her eyes are crusty. We've spoken to the receptionist and there isn't an awful lot to be done as we don't think she is in pain, but we need to get her eating and drinking so she poos and wees.
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Please be aware that the poo output lags 1-2 days behind the food input. what is coming out at the moment reflects what has gone into her in past days.

Please get as much food into her as you can; it is not pleasant, but absolutely necessary.
 
I just want to say my heart goes out to you and Poppy.
We went through a similar thing recently with Ruby, and it did get to the point where I questioned whether I was doing the right thing by being quite 'firm' (maybe aggressive) with syringe feeding.
My extremly expereinced vet made it clear it could go either way, and she would fully support whatever decision I felt was the right one.
To be honest if it was any other pig I would proabbably have opted to pts.
But Ruby is very special, and despite hating the syringe feeding (I often sat crying as I did it) I could also see how it helped sustain her.
It took a few days, but she did slowly improve, and now (several weeks later) Ruby is almost back to her old self.
It has been a long and difficult road to get here, but I am glad I did stick with it.

In hindsight i feel the key is to make a decision and throw yourself into it.
If you feel it is wrong to keep going then stop, and do all that you can to ensure your piggy passes peacefully.
If you feel (for whatever reason) that there is a chance then be aggressive. Don't back down, and do what you have to do (it's a lot) to keep your piggy going until they are able to do it for themselves again.

But always be kind to yourself, and remember that you know your piggy best.
 
Wiebke said:
Please be aware that the poo output lags 1-2 days behind the food input. what is coming out at the moment reflects what has gone into her in past days.

Please get as much food into her as you can; it is not pleasant, but absolutely necessary.
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Thank you, I've got as much recovery plus and water into her as possible, and she has now walked over to her food bowl, eaten a nugget and is munching on cucumber.
 
Swissgreys said:
I just want to say my heart goes out to you and Poppy.
We went through a similar thing recently with Ruby, and it did get to the point where I questioned whether I was doing the right thing by being quite 'firm' (maybe aggressive) with syringe feeding.
My extremly expereinced vet made it clear it could go either way, and she would fully support whatever decision I felt was the right one.
To be honest if it was any other pig I would proabbably have opted to pts.
But Ruby is very special, and despite hating the syringe feeding (I often sat crying as I did it) I could also see how it helped sustain her.
It took a few days, but she did slowly improve, and now (several weeks later) Ruby is almost back to her old self.
It has been a long and difficult road to get here, but I am glad I did stick with it.

In hindsight i feel the key is to make a decision and throw yourself into it.
If you feel it is wrong to keep going then stop, and do all that you can to ensure your piggy passes peacefully.
If you feel (for whatever reason) that there is a chance then be aggressive. Don't back down, and do what you have to do (it's a lot) to keep your piggy going until they are able to do it for themselves again.

But always be kind to yourself, and remember that you know your piggy best.
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Thank you, she's a real fighter to survive 2 nights when the vet said that she wouldn't survive one so I feel like she has a chance and I'm going to do everything I can.
 
@Swissgreys @Wiebke @Jaycey she seems to be fighting I'm just a bit worried about how weak she is and she's still lying still and resting her head on the ground, and her very heavy and fast breathing as the vet said that she must be putting a lot of effort into breathing as her whole body moves.
 
I'm sending you loads of hugs :hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug:@Maisy and Poppy.

This is a very difficult time for you - but such a blessing that Poppy has such a caring owner .

My thoughts are with you :hug:
 
This sounds like Poppy’s time to go. Try all of the above but at the end the most important thing is to keep her comfy. Good luck to you and Poppy ❤️❤️
 
@Maisy and Poppy Is she pooing and weeing? That's a sign of whether her digestive system is still working.

You'll need to continue aggressively syringefeeding her. The optimum amount of syringe food is 120ml but that can very difficult to achieve in an ill piggy so aim for as close as you can.

When they are heaving when breathing they are really struggling. Their first instinct is to breathe so eating will not be a priority for her.
 
Jaycey said:
@Maisy and Poppy Is she pooing and weeing? That's a sign of whether her digestive system is still working.

You'll need to continue aggressively syringefeeding her. The optimum amount of syringe food is 120ml but that can very difficult to achieve in an ill piggy so aim for as close as you can.

When they are heaving when breathing they are really struggling. Their first instinct is to breathe so eating will not be a priority for her.
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She's pooing very slightly but they are very hard and dark, she's been breathing this heavily since about 5pm on Wednesday so I'm not sure what to do.
 
We've just taken her to the vets, and instead of opting to put her to sleep we have decided to give her baytril antibiotics (if she has URI), pain relief, gut stimulant as well as more water and critical/recovery care. She's just had a nibble at some grass and apparently she's lost around 3 grams since Wednesday at 7pm.
 
Maisy and Poppy said:
She's now grunting when breathing :(
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All the best - grunting is a sign of pain, so it is good that you have had her seen. Has your vet considered a diuretic in case it there is a fluid build up in her chest or lungs, which can cause the heavy breathing?

Please try your very best to get 60 ml or more syringe feed into her in 24 hours by feeding ever 2-3 hours, including feeds throughout the night. She's run out of energy now, so you have to supply it.
 
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